Arunachal: Inauguration of Hollongi airport postponed, now on October

The inauguration of the first civilian airport, which was supposed to be a special gift for the people of Arunachal Pradesh and scheduled to launch on the occasion of 75 years of independence, was once again delayed till October.

Earlier in July, the under-construction Greenfield Airport in Hollongi attained a major boost, as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) conducted its first flight test landing considered as a key milestone toward efforts undertaken for operationalizing the airport by 2022. 

The Airport in Hollongi, 15 km from Itanagar, includes Itanagar in the aviation map, thereby highlighting the significance of air access to the important district of Arunachal Pradesh. 

Recently, Arunachal Chief Minister Pema Khandu taking to Twitter expressed gratitude to PM Narendra Modi and Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia for strengthening the efforts in crossing the significant milestone.

The airport, in the opinion of the Arunachal government, will also increase tourism. Lilabari Airport in the neighboring state of Assam's North Lakhimpur district has historically been the sole airport from which travelers could fly to Arunachal from other areas of the nation.